A three-day skill building workshop on STIs (sexually transmitted infections) and HIV got under way on July 9 in Karachi to educate and prepare sex workers for running various preventive health programmes solely for their own benefit.
The United Nations Population Fund, an international agency, is organising the workshop with the collaboration of the National Aids Control Programme. About 70 female sex workers, mainly from the red light areas of both Karachi and Hyderabad, turned up on the first day to attend lectures and interactive sessions.
The female workers were brought to the workshop entitled ‘Skill building workshop on HIV and sex works’ with the support of an NGO and contraceptive marketers. There are plans to bring the female sex workers operating from kothis, bungalows and those giving services on call to such a forum in the future.
At the inaugural session, the participants were told that since the late 1980s a large proportion of HIV cases had been detected in men, particularly those who had worked abroad.
At present, based on cumulative cases, a higher proportion of people have been infected through sexual transmission, but the epidemic is expanding rapidly among injecting drug users, with a reported prevalence of 26 per cent among drug users in Karachi alone.
A recent round of surveillance has shown an overall 6.4 per cent prevalence among male transvestites and 0.9 per cent prevalence among male sex workers. However, the rate among female sex workers continues to be low, informed Sindh Aids Control Programme officials.
The country manager of the UNFPA said that the main objective of the advocacy workshop was to discuss and develop appropriate strategies to address the sexual health needs of female sex workers in the country.
The experts will help in developing models of good practices in providing culturally appropriate sexual health promotion strategies to sex workers.
Experts, including a sociologist from Bangladesh working as the UNFPA consultant at Myanmar, highlighted the risks and needs of sex workers and asserted that work needs to be done to build the capacity of government bodies, service providers, NGOs and donors in addressing these needs.
The subject of the first day included FSW work in Karachi, field work methodologies, boyfriends/husbands of FSW and peer education.
The workers were told that development of prevention skills and implementation of strategies should come from them, as it was the only viable way to increase personal and organisational capacities of the sex workers who were at risk of STIs and HIV.
maria talha said
shameful…..now sex workers wud b trained how to escape the natural consequences of their obscene activities.
Haroon said
i agree with maria talha. but only Allah can ask these ppl…
fatima said
why are we always so quick to poitn out that the sex workers need to be punished?!?! what about their clients?….what about their punishment?!?
Haroon said
this is very strange activity in a muslim country to train the sex workers.
our religion never ever lets us spreading sex in such an open atmosphere. these business should be banned in the whole pakistan but why our Govt is supporting these kind of activities in Pakistan. Govt wants to destroy the whole nation.
Oh God show them the right path & let them do good things.
akhtar usmani said
who can stop prostitution in our society, whorses are being spread in our steets due to various reason main reason is unemployment, and hoshruba mehngai, if we can not overcome this situation than it is better to declare this an industry of sex workers with proper education to save health. i am confident that if legalise this industry in selected area the prostituion will definetly reduced, and this act will clear to each street and areas, when gen zia ban prosititution in selected red light areas prostitutes were spreadout in different area and socities in all over the country and they involve in this business of shurfas family. It better to organsie in limited areas under the legal cover and with proper educations.
bina aslam said
i feel strange about ur thoughts…so you feel whatever evil is uncontrollable should be given legal cover n properly educated of… has any evil ever reduced adopting such practices…WOW… LETS LEGALIZE ROBBERY, MURDER … LETS EDUCATE PEOPLE FOR THEM…
what are you going to answer before Allah (swt)?
Salman Ahmed said
i agree with my sister that if this black crime and biggest of the sins is to be legalized then why to punish those who are involved in lesser and smaller evils. Its not only Allah’s job to check and stop these people. all those who have some doubt or misconceptions, plz read Sura-e- Assar. These acts are aimed at to take out our relegious strength out of us and then softening us up for their final blow to make this Islamic Ideological State a secular state to their satisfaction. They will Inshallah never succeed.
Tabinda Amin said
Goto hell…. for passing such comments.
And even if i dont curse u, u’ll definitely goto hell.
Meena qureshi said
God will hang u in fire for this….
bina aslam said
this is very shameful….launching programmes like this in the name of educatin of prostitutes is just another way of promoting this obscenity.. shame on sharaton… shame on the NGo organising the event…
Salman Ahmed said
Pakistan needs to wake up, otherwise such things may prove to be last nails in our coffins as a nation, and may Allah save us from his wrath
bintul islam said
This bloody hell government, actually is american agent, these western people are afraid of islam so they are creating such platforms where ppl can openly discuss and spread evil. and our bloody govt supports them as they r ugly hungry dogs whoes stomachs are being filled by americans. i agree with sister tabinda. the one who supports an act of a group is actually a part of it.
i think AKHTAR USMANI himself belong to a prostitute family, thats why he has such comments.
Meena qureshi said
Such evil acts should b immediately condemned and stopped in a country which was founded in the name of Islam. the whole nation should seek forgiveness from Allah (swt) for letting such a shamefull thing happen in our country. we all will be accountable for such things on the dooms day as actually we r responsible and bcauze of our silence the evil powers have become so strong aginst Islam.
and i must say it too that AKHTAR USMANI must goto hell.
M.ASIF said
this is very shameful event organize in Karachi. Pakistan is Islamic country.
Anum Abid said
extreeeemly disappointing, height of unshamfulness. from no where we can say now that we are acutally living in an islamic republic. rather thn discourging such things,..by arranging these seminars they are in other way promoting this evil and unislamic activity.
these seminars are just teaching them how to keep urself n others protected from the consequnces of prostitution!!
screw u pakistani governmtent!!
damn u!
i just hope our protest bring sum changes.. chances are close to zero!
akhtar usmani said
I think sex workshop has demage various females secret sex business like BNITUL ISLAM and MEENA QUERESHI that why i suggested that this sex busniess should be limited in selected areas. these type of women in sharaft mask involving gentle ladies of civil society in their shamful Business.
Zaheeer Ahmad said
Its a vary dared full happened in our society & its not only that we just give our comments here ! we would have noticed for this thing i suggest you all come united in facebook or orkut & make own group & then protest against them
now its time o save our country Pakistan ….we always remember its a ISLAMIC COUNTRY please save PAKISTAN
contact at my ID then we manage our group please !
best regard
Zaheer Ahmad
sameer said
I think it’s good thing for finished prostitution’s ok
Attaurrehman said
What a hell is going on?
I leave in Canada Toronto But never I have seen like this !
Hey!
The Keepers of Pakistan Please Save OUR Pakistan.
Please
Please
Please
If any want to to contact me please
fida.1987@gmail.com
usmama said
To comment on any thing/matter takes no time but to consider the facts from where it comes is necessary.We, all Muslims are responsible to make our society peaceful.The poverty which is prevailing in our country due to so called leaders have left no way for those who can not maintain themselves and mostly starving can do any thing beyond your imagination.The young people mostly the School going children/college boys/girls and in Universities,they will observe good things to create examples for our youngers.
Let us pray before almighty God to give us courage and be unit to control all above.Who is responsible for this?????
Hanif
Shama said
its a really very shameful program
r we going to train prostitutes now? is this the standard of an islamic country?
prostitutes deserve AIDS……………
Malik Aziz said
Assalamu Alaikum,
I never understand why people who are followers of Allah’s religion have so little compassion for others but would love for Allah to forgive them for their crimes. Why aren’t people asking themselves, why are these people committing zina in the first place?
It seems that governments no matter where they are, have forgotten about the less fortunate in society. In a world where Allah has not left one person without a want (re: Natural Resources), are people going hungry, or living without shelter? These are the questions one should be asking themselves. To take it out on people, especially women whom Allah has asked men to protect is the real shame here. If you want to be mad, go ahead but be mad at the politicians who have their health insurance paid by the people whom they serve, who live off of the backs of their citizens but refuse to give their citizens the basics to make it in society.
Allah is oft-forgiving, ever merciful
The problem is not punishing people for their sins, that’s Allah (Ta’ala) job. We as servants of Allah should show compassion towards these individuals.
mona said
my mother is dancer in Karachi I took away from her I born in1953 or 1954 or 1955 any one know my mother just email evolutionbird@yahoo.com
Muskaan said
I agree with such kind of educational plans and one should arrange them once every 6 months but they should educate the sex workers how to step out of this worst field. they should teach them the other ways of earning or atleast donate so that they may live their life without seeling their bodies. and trust me freinds its my personal view that not all sex workers enjoy their work. they are also humans and they have full right to live their lives freely.